The Underground - 3RACHA

11

It was Jisung's third shift at The Twin Oaks, the pub he had managed to get a job at. He thought things were meant to get better over time, but that saying didn't apply to his job as every shift seemed to be getting worse and worse, more anxiety-inducing every time. He didn't get breaks very often, but he'd managed to get ten minutes when the pub wasn't busy on a Thursday afternoon. He was currently sitting outside, on the steps that lead up to the pub and it was freezing but Jisung couldn't bring himself to go back inside yet. If his manager shouted at him for a mistake one more time he thought he would cry.

"Isn't it a bit cold out here?" A voice asked, making Jisung jump as it caught him off guard. He turned around to see Chan and he quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed. He still wasn't sure how he felt about working in the same place as the person he'd looked up to for many years, but he was glad Chan worked in the kitchen and he worked in the pub. If he had to work in the kitchen with him, he knew he'd make too many nervous mistakes. Chan sat down beside Jisung and pulled a packet out of his pocket. "Sorry for scaring you," he chuckled, lighting the end of the cigarette he's taken out and putting it in between his lips, "do you smoke?"

"No, sorry," Jisung shook his head.

Chan laughed, "you're sorry for not smoking?"

A small smile tugged at Jisung's lips as Chan put the packet away. "Yeah, I guess that was a bit of a stupid thing to say."

Jisung watched Chan as he let out a drag of smoke. It was blown in the opposite direction of him, along with the violent wind that messed up both of their hair. Chan didn't seem to mind it too much though. "How's the rapping coming along?"

"Ah," Jisung sucked the air between his teeth before chuckling, "well, the rapping is ok but the confidence is another story."

"I understand. I used to get nervous when I was starting out too," Chan admitted.

"Really?"

"Definitely!" He  said, pausing to take another drag of his cigarette before continuing, "don't tell anyone but I got so nervous before what was meant to be the first cypher that I ran off."

"I didn't expect you to get nervous. You seem so...perfect," Jisung admitted when he couldn't find a better word to use. It was the truth though. In a way, Jisung had seen Chan as some untouchable figure that wasn't a human being but now he was starting to realize how wrong he'd been because Chan was just like him except he'd gone after what he wanted.

"We're all human underneath our facades."

-

The weather outside was treacherous that Friday evening. It had been leading up to a storm all week, but now it had finally hit. The wind was strong enough to blow people backwards and the rain was so penetrating it hurt when it hit, but Changbin was pulling on his coat and shoes near Felix's front door anyway.

"Bin, I don't think it's a good idea to go out tonight. Let's just give it a miss," Felix tried to persuade him, not wanting to go out himself but mostly worried for Changbin's health that was only just starting to get better.

"I've already missed too much at The Underground. I just want to watch," Changbin explained, looking up with hopeful eyes from where he knelt on the floor, tying his laces. "Please, Lix?" He begged, a small pout forming at his lips.

Felix sighed, "ok, I guess."

"Oh, you're not going out in this weather are you, boys?" Felix's mother shouted as she rushed into the hallway from the nearby kitchen, "you'll get sick!"

Felix's mother was a fairly young-looking lady in her late forties. While not having a lot of money, she always managed to make sure her appearance was pristine and that extended to her house which was beautifully decorated. Everything about her radiated positivity and Changbin's mother couldn't compare. He wished Ms Lee could have been his mother too but he wasn't as fortunate as Felix.